Meet Rainy
by Nerdene Hyrde
Summary: Hyrde-verse. What happens when Loki meets a Seeker and doesn't take his wings?


Hey everyone. Remember Rainstrip, of "Choosing an Alt"? Weeeell... Meet Rainy! This is set about three million years before earth. I, Shadow/Kd Zeal, played Rainstrip, and LokiWaterDraca played Loki since, well... she IS Loki, and guest star, Xobit playing Xobit! . We hope you enjoy, and, as always, Transformers is not ours, we make no money from this, yeah.  


* * *

It was well known that Loki collected wings, and when one of the seekers she shot from the sky didn't get away, only crash landing nearby… well, it was too good of a chance to pass up! Stalking over to her downed prey, she purred at the sight of the seeker, he was slim and cute, painted black and teal… and the dinobot wanted his wings… badly.

Oh no, oh no, this was not going well. He could fly, he could shoot, he could theoretically fight, but not with the wound from the gun, and now he had a dinobot stalking him. Rainburst had heard rumors of this dinobot, seen other seekers coming back from battle grounded, wings lost to the insane femme. And now she was baring down on him, this was so very not good. He whimpered as he tried to stand, tried to bring one of his guns up to shoot her.

The sound of the whimper from her prey made Loki pause. She wanted his wings still… but seeing him up close there was something different, something new. This seeker wasn't spitting and cursing as her other prey normally did... instead he was just fearful, holding his gun up and backing away. Why didn't he just fly though? His wings looked fine enough to fly… Growling, Loki grabbed his arm, pulling him off his feet, claws raking into his arm and then wing as she got ready to tear it off.

"No, no... NO!" Rainburst kept his head, mostly, this dinobot wasn't known for killing seekers, only maiming them, and wings COULD be replaced. But the claws digging into his arm, tracing fire down his wing, and he was so very close to panicking. His gun, why wasn't he shooting his blaster, not that it would do much good against the dino... "Let me go, let me go, just LET ME GO..." Fear was gaining more and more of a hold on his processor as the teal and black seeker began to thrash about.

Ignoring the thrashing, Loki cocked her head. This seeker was begging… but not even in any way a 'normal' seeker would. Relinquishing her hold on his wing a tiny bit, Loki realized that, as he tried to get away, he only hurt himself more and that wasn't good. She wasn't sure when she grew a soft spot, but the dino didn't want this seeker hurt, no... she wanted his wings and she wanted HIM. "Stop strugglin'," was all she could think of saying as her claws nearly ripped through one of the teal mech's pretty wings.

She wasn't... she wasn't tearing at them... any more... Slowly, Rainburst's struggles stopped, until he was looking up at the femme with frightened red optics. "Please let me go, please don't hurt me... I... I won't attack you, I promise!" Why... why had she actually listened, why was she just looking at him, he didn't like it...

Disarming the seeker was easy, and Loki threw his weapons into her subspace before speaking. "Ya' wouldn' do much damage you know…" she said before picking the seeker up, holding him tightly and walking back the way she came. This seeker had to have a name… "What's ya' name?" she asked carefully, holding on to her captured prey in a vice like grip.

"Well... no, I guess I wouldn't, but..." He would shrug, but he couldn't really move at the moment. At least she wasn't holding him as painfully as she could. "Um... I'm Rainburst," the seeker admitted, waiting for the smothered laughter that usually followed. "Hey, you're not talking like the other dinobots! Why's... I mean, nevermind." Okay, it would be really nice if she'd ease up a little...

"Rainburst… Rainy!" Loki said absently, blinking as the words from the seeker hit her. "A'm Loki an' aye… A' don' talk like 'em, A' talk worse." To tell the truth, the dinobot was surprised that Rainburst was even talking to her… not even some Autobots did that. Almost flipping him upside down, she examined the wounds she caused, as well as the ones from his landing, noting that they weren't as bad as they could have been… and wouldn't need Wishmaster to patch either.

Gray hands scrabbled at the dinobot's armor as she carelessly shifted him about to suit her whims. Rainburst didn't think she was going to drop him, no, she was taking far too much interest in him to do something like that! Which brought up the question, "What are you going to do with me?" He didn't really want to be an Autobot prisoner, he didn't really want to be a prisoner at all.

That was a very good question… touching one of Rainburst's wings lightly, the dinobot chuckled but didn't answer his question… mostly because she honestly didn't know. Loki almost dropped him when the seeker started struggling after that, blinking in surprise. Why...? Oh. "Calm down, A'm not gonna hurt ya'. A'm wonderin' how A'm gonna sneak ya' past Wish'." It was only a partial lie, but at least it got him to calm down.

He had no clue who Wish was. Somehow, he didn't really want to find out, not when it involved Loki having to sneak him past Wish. Rainburst DID calm down, best to stay with the femme he sort of knew and who had left him in one piece after all, than risk an unknown.

Sneaking her 'captive' in was easier than expected, and Loki thanked Primus for it, not wanting to explain why she'd stole a Decepticon seeker from the field… no, that'd be a long and horrible conversation! Coming to her office, the dinobot practically ran in, setting Rainburst on her desk so she could grab her medical kit… even though she knew it was a bad idea.

"Ah... L-loki? You never, ah... did answer what you were gonna do with me..." The name felt odd on his glossa, but then, the simple idea that he was sitting on the insane dinobot's desk was fairly odd. Now... what was she doing? The seeker tried to ignore the urge to just curl up in a ball, reaching over and touching one of the purple sigils on his wings just to remind himself that he was a Decepticon. He had to be brave.

"A' dunno yet," was all Loki could think to say as she pulled a set of chains from her closet and threw them over her shoulder, "Fraggin'… where is it! A' know A' got better than this frag heap." The small kit she held in her hand was meager compared to the one she'd gotten from one of the twin's exploits… Looking over her shoulder, the dinobot glimpsed Rainburst looking… more than scared. Why he hadn't attacked and tried to escape she didn't know, but she was glad, the less wounds he got, the easier it would be to fix the ones he had.

Whimpering as he noticed the chains, Rainburst thought maybe he shouldn't look at the dinobot, it didn't really seem like he wanted to know what she was up to. A moment later, it because quite clear that looking around was a very bad idea. Every wall had at least one pair of seeker wings, most walls had more than one. He picked out sets from the entire command trine, sets from those coneheads... Curling up into a ball of terrified seeker was sounding better and better.

Finally finding her better repair kit, Loki growled in triumph and walked back over to her desk, only to find that the seeker was shaking slightly and looking at the floor. She grabbed his arm and lifted it without warning, re-examining the damage to his side. "Hmmmm…" The dinobot felt the urge to lick up the energon leaking from Rainburst's wounds and growled to herself. It wasn't the time nor the… well, it would be a good place, but that wasn't the point!

She was growling at him and looking at him and touching him... Rainburst screamed like a banshee, pulling his arm free and scrambling as far away from the dinobot as possible. Reaching the edge of the desk, he fell to the floor and kept going, finally reaching a corner, screaming all the while. Pressing his back to the wall, the teal seeker brought his knees against his chest, buried his face in his knees, and wrapped his arms around his head, terrified screaming finally fading into whimpers and sobs of, "Don't hurt me, please don't hurt me, my wings, my beautiful wings, don't take my wings, please don't hurt me..."

It took a second to register that Rainburst had moved and ran, and another for Loki to move, setting down her open kit to do so. "A'm not, now hold still so A' can patch ya' up." Unlike her brother Shadowsinger, the dinobot wasn't good with calming people down, or helping them… mostly she just did the scaring, but then again, it didn't hurt to try… "Come'n A'm not gonna hurt ya', A' like ya', other wise A'd've jus' taken ya' wings without thought o' it, so come'n lemme help take care o' ya'?" Stepping forward carefully she waited for conformation of her words, not wanting to hurt Rainburst any more than what his movements had. He was so fragile compared to other seekers that she couldn't help it…

Being told that she liked him was somewhat less than comforting, even if it was apparently the reason she was leaving his wings attached. 'For now', the thought whispered in his mind. 'Until she gets tired of you, until you relax and she'll turn on you!' She WAS an Autobot, but why would a 'bot care about one Decepticon seeker and his feelings? "Leave me alone, leave me alone, just leave me alone..." He wasn't fully processing what she was saying or doing.

"No." Guilt tore at Loki as she came closer, transforming to seem less 'scary' when she reached out, ignoring his protests and struggles, picked Rainburst up. Setting him back on her desk she held the panicking Decepticon down with one hand while carefully patching his wounds with the other.

Rainburst went silent and limp when Loki touched him again, laying were he was placed and not even twitching as she... wait... She was repairing him? Very, very gently, reconnecting wires and slapping patches on to him. He watched the blue and black and green femme carefully... she was actually attractive in this form... "You'd look better with red optics," the seeker observed, still very clearly in shock.

Blinking in surprise, Loki raised a optic ridge at the seeker in her grasp. "A' dunno 'bout that, but A'll take ya' word fo' it," she said, shaking her head and finishing the patch she was working on. "A' know A' scratched ya' wings, but is there anywhere else A'm missin'?" she asked, finishing another patch quickly. "A'm not a good medic like Wish' is, but A' ain't lettin' ya' go without getting' patched on all ya' injuries."

"You're the one who CAUSED THEM!" Rainburst snapped out, momentarily forgetting that he was at her mercy. He flinched a second later, twisting a little in Loki's hold, not to get away, but to answer her question. "I... here, your shot hit me on the side... Jolted the sensor connections loose. That's why I... couldn't fly away..." If she wasn't a medic, why was she keeping him FROM the medic, why had she felt the need to sneak him past the medic? Maybe... likely the medic wouldn't have been willing to work on a Decepticon, might have even... "You're going to let me go?"

"Jus' cause A' caused it don' mean A' know where it is...! An' aye, A'm gonna let ya' go. Why wouldn' A' let ya' go?" Confused, the dinobot set to work on fixing the spots Rainburst had mentioned, working gently but quickly. Once done there she carefully flipped him, not pressing him down anymore but keeping a hand in place just in case he panicked again…

He had relaxed quite a bit by the time the femme flipped him over. The careful and gentle work on his sensors helped, the fact that she never once hurt what was really a very sensitive area. It still took some work to keep from panicking again as she exposed every little bit of his wings and very vulnerable back joint. Decepticon medics usually had to offline their seeker patients to be allowed to work on it, but Rainburst was glad Loki wasn't asking that of him. "Well, ah... you took me prisoner, didn't you?"

Blinking, the dinobot made a face, "A' dunno? ...A' didn' think 'bout that…" she said, hesitating to finish the last of the repairs. The wounds left were on his wings, and Loki didn't even try to resist the urge to lick one of the gashes before fixing it. "A' tol' ya', A' liked ya' wings… A' jus' liked ya'… A' dunno!" That was the truth, the dinobot really didn't know why she stole Rainburst from the battlefield as she did.

The teal seeker squeaked at the distinctive feel of a glossa against his wings, laving the wound and making him both tense and, somehow, relax. He wondered if the dinobot really had any clue what she was doing, why seekers screamed and hated and avoided her so much. "But... if you like me... why are you letting me go?"

"What, ya' sayin' ya' WANNA be mah prisoner?" Loki asked, taking another lick before finishing the patches on Rainburst's wings. "A' don' think A'd be able ta' do that, A' barely am able ta' take people ta' th' brig like A'm s'possed ta'… then again, that's cause A'm always in th' brig myself, well, when A' get caught," she added, finishing completely and closing her medical kits.

It required too much twisting to see her face, and so Rainburst didn't try, just giving a very low hum as she licked him again. "It's... It wouldn't be the worst thing that might happen to me..." He couldn't completely say he WANTED to be Loki's prisoner... pet? She was certainly licking him enough to put that thought into his processor. "It doesn't make sense, capturing me and bringing me back and repairing me just to let me go."

"A' never make sense, but A' really don' know why A' felt th' need ta' steal ya'…" Putting her kits back into their hiding space, Loki tidied up the area a little bit… which for her equaled stuffing everything back into her closet or cramming it into the corners. "Now where did A' put those chains? Shadow'll kill meh if A' lost his favorite ones… o' if A' broke 'nother set… bah! There they are." Brutally pushing the chains into her closet, the dinobot sighed as they clinked, making a note to give them back to her adopted brother.

Rainburst really was not sure how to deal with the random talk of chains. He half expected the dinobot to use them on HIM, and wasn't completely sure if he was relieved or disappointed when the chains followed everything else into the closet. Sitting back up, the seeker started to look around again, quickly remembered why that was a bad idea, and settled red optics back onto Loki. The question slipped out, "Why do you go for our wings?"

That… that was a very, very good question… and Loki had no clue how to answer it. "A' dunno… they're pretty… strong, yet they break so easily… an' it's th' perfect revenge, A' guess? A' know they're sensitive fo' ya' guys an' it grounds ya' fo'... how long, when they're taken? Plus… like A' said, they're pretty." It was a obsession that the dinobot really didn't know where it came from, it was just THERE. The urge to rip off seeker wings, to ground those that could fly… part of it was probably jealousy she figured, but that only explained a little and not enough. "A' couldn' take 'urs tho', A' dunno why… A' jus' could'…"

"Assuming we have the supplies on hand and get treatment right away, a joor, maybe two. When we don't have the supplies..." Rainburst looked at Loki and repeated a troubling truth, one she apparently didn't know. "Some of us never fly again. Sometimes the injured don't rank high enough, or have fallen out of favor. More often, the supplies just aren't there... We go crazy if we're grounded too long. Some can hold out longer than others, but when supplies aren't there, when you don't know... You're not the only one who takes wings, just the only Autobot." He remember the femme, lithe and pink, a jealous grounder had taken her wings, and all the seekers in the camp could only watch helplessly as she descended into madness. At least, until someone had decided to show her some mercy and end it... Rainburst didn't tell that to Loki, it wasn't her fault, and very few of her victims had been permanently grounded, anyway.

Permanently grounded… oh… she hadn't known that… Guilt practically oozing out of her, the dinobot looked down. "A' didn' know they were permanently grounded… A' mean, A' knew they'd be grounded fo' a bit, but A' figured it'd be better ta' be grounded instead o' dead…no supplies fo' them ya' say?" Walking over to another part of her office the dinobot pulled open a door that was partly hidden, motioning for Rainburst to follow her.

"A... temporary grounding... IS preferable to death," Rainburst admitted quietly, sliding himself off the desk. It took him a moment to find his balance when he stood, and he took that moment to study Loki, wondering what she was going to do now. She seemed... upset... "The command trine. The cone-heads. The two trines that fly closest to those two. Anyone else runs the risk of not getting repaired in time." It was a betrayal, an admission of their weakness... Rainburst justified it to himself by saying this would cost them less warriors. If more of Loki's victims were lost, he might even believe it.

When they reached her special hidden store room, Loki reminded herself to thank the twins for building it again before holding out her arm in a small sweeping motion. "Will this make up fo' it a bit? If ya' use these fo' jus' the ones who can't get new ones ya' can have 'em… as many as ya' can subspace o' carry…" She could get more… though not from her normal places anymore… no, not with the knowledge that she'd grounded seekers…

Rainburst made a soft sound, surprise and shock and just a little bit of horror. He hadn't realized she had gathered so many... Walking into the room further, the teal seeker traced his hand against the vari-colored wings, just to verify they were there. "M... make up for... yes... Yes, very much so! I... you're sure? I mean..." He was already sorting through them in his mind, making lists of which were the best, most intact, cleanest breaks, least corrosion... He could only carry back a very limited number. "Most of the ones who need help right now, well... You know, we can be almost as cruel to ourselves as to you." There was no reason for him to have said that, none at all.

"Aye, A'm sure… an' A' believe it, ya' wouldn' wanna know how many of mah fellow Autobots hate me jus' cause A'm a dinobot… an' ya' better tell meh if some'ns cruel ta' ya' o' hurts ya', cause A'll make 'em ENVY th' ones who're grounded." Loki smiled lightly, "A' have mo' than this too, in another room, if ya' need mo'… A'm expectin Screamer ta' come after mah fin any time now ta' tell th' truth…so A'll be unable ta' get mo' then, jus' ta' tell ya'."

"Oh, I... um... I see." Yeah, Rainburst wasn't quite sure how to deal with the dinobot's almost cheerful recitation of people out to get her. And of course, an Autobot offering to protect him, a Decepticon seeker, well... that was very much not normal. Emptying his subspace of most of the random little odds and ends he'd collected over his lifetime, Rainburst began tugging at the wing-pairs he'd selected. He didn't dare take any of Starscream's wings back, they might be some of the best craftsmanship, but the Air Commander would never let them be used on others. Everyone else's, though, were fair play, and he'd soon claimed a total of six pair.

"O', ya' might want a few o' these, too… though A' don' got many, mostly A' get 'em from seekers who hate meh an' attack…" Opening a drawer, Loki pulled out a couple of cockpit pieces from the small collection she had stored there… the more valuable pieces that were her pride and joys, and that had taken quite a long time to collect. "Ya' better hold on ta' these fo' emergencies, but A' do want ya' ta' have 'em."

"Is THAT why Commander Starscream's been so angry lately!" Rainburst snickered. "He's been very careful not to let THIS little trick of yours out..." Ooh, the fun he could have with this knowledge... Accepting the pieces carefully, the seeker was just able to slip them into his subspace. "I... um..." He wanted to thank her, but he couldn't quite figure out how. Finally he shifted the pair of wings he was holding and cautiously approached Loki, giving her something that might be a hug in different circumstances.

Blinking in surprise at the affection being given, the dinobot made a small squeaking noise before returning the awkward gesture. "Ya' better be careful out there, A'll do mo' then rip off th' wings o' anyone that hurts ya', but ya' know… when A' finally get cornered A' ain't gonna be able ta' fo' 'while." Winking at the small seeker Loki pulled away, "Now let's sneak ya' out, A' need ta' comm. Shadow' an' get his help."

"The guy with the chains?" Rainburst asked, stepping out of his whatever it was with the dinobot and looking... not really worried, just... concerned. "He's, ah, not like 'Wish', is he? I mean, well, if he's going to help me sneak out, I guess he's not..." She had been warm and, weirdly enough, he had felt safe, even when she returned it. She wasn't like the other dinobots, or even the other Autobots... "And I can take care of myself. I'm a Decepticon, taking care of myself comes with that."

"Hm? Wha'? Naw! ...well. aye…" Shifting the dinobot shook her head, "Aye, he's th' chain guy, but he don' use 'em on many people… A'm one o' 'em. But Wish' ain't bad… he's jus' a' lil' edgy, hates it when anyone gets hurt. But no, he ain't like Wish'." Chuckling, she led the way out, closing up her 'vault' before Shadowsinger with a request for him to come to her office.

"Then... why'd you have to sneak me past... no. No, never mind, I don't need to know." Clutching the wings to him, Rainburst really hoped she wouldn't tell him anyway. If he learned too much, he would feel the need to report it, and he didn't really want to do that.

Shadowsinger wasn't sure why Loki wanted him to come to her office. If she had official duties she needed him for, she would have told him over the comm, but she'd mentioned nothing like that, just a simple, neutral request. Walking in, he paused just inside and took in the sight of a teal and black seeker standing by her and looking quite at ease. "Wings, canopies, I guess it was only a matter of time until you started bringing back whole seekers. What the pit are we supposed to do with him?"

"A' gave 'im wings bro, an' A' need ya' help sneakin' 'im out… oi'… wait… hey! Not funny ya' slagger, A' ain't that bad... am A'?" Loki growled playfully at her brother, "Plus, A' jus' felt th' need ta' steal 'im… don' ask meh why, but A' jus' did…" Knowing full well she'd have to explain better later, the dinobot trailed off with a shrug, "Shadow' meet Rainburst, Rainburst meet Shadow'…" She picked the smaller mech up and put him on her shoulder, not bothering to give warning.

"Wow, that has to be a first, you GAVE wings to a seeker? You'll have to explain that one... but first, you want me to sneak a Decepticon prisoner back out to freedom?" Shadow waved at the seeker from his perch before looking at him thoughtfully. Rainburst looked back up at him, half trying to wrap his mind around this small mech chaining the large dinobot. He quickly decided that he did NOT want to know, and settled for returning the wave. That made the mech smile, and finally Shadow nodded his head. "Right. Just gotta get him to the airlock, then I can let him out... and then go back over the feeds and remove any images that might have been caught. Soo... yeah?"

"Aye," said Loki, "… an' A'll explain later, A' promise bro… A' owe ya' big time A' know." She looked Rainburst over and grinned slightly, heading towards the door. "We gotta be careful though… hey Shadow', did ya' happen ta' see if 'Out was experimentin' o' anythin'? A'd rather not blow up our guest an' all his pretty wings he's carryin'…"

The small mech shook his head, and Rainburst followed Loki, wishing they would stop talking. He didn't want to hear about someone maybe blowing him up! "Nah, 's too soon afta' battle f'her to be out of medbay yet. Still, we should getta move on." The trip to the airlock was, mercifully for Rainburst's mood, accomplished easily, and now all he had to do was step out and leave. He found himself reluctant to do so.

"'Member what A' said, ya' tell meh if anyone hurts ya' so A' can teach 'em a lesson 'bout manners…" Loki said as they reached the airlock, putting a clawed hand on Rainburst's shoulder. She was sad to see him go, even though still not knowing why she'd taken the seeker in the first place… but then, he needed to return with her apology wings… that, and it wouldn't be right to keep him.

He jumped slightly as the hand touched his shoulder-vent. It was unexpected, and unexpected contact wasn't usually a good thing in Decepticon ranks. It was just Loki though, of course, and Rainburst nodded. "I... I'll remember that. I'll, ah... see you around. And... don't take it personally if I avoid you in battles, hey?" With a nervous chuckle and without waiting for Loki's answer, he stepped out, staying in root mode to carry the wings.

"Y'know 'e's not likely t'tell ya if they actually DO anythin' t'im, right?" Shadowsinger said lightly when the seeker was out of sight. "Least-ways, he can't really, if he doesn't want 'em t'think he's a traitor. So now... while we go through and clear the feeds, you can start telling me exactly how you came to be GIVIN' wings t'seeker."

* * *

Rainburst had been edgy since meeting Loki. Her apology-gift was well received, and the Seeker was sure that was the primary reason he was still functioning. Ever opportunistic, they were waiting to see if he would meet her again, bring back more for their always-low stores. The likelihood of that took an abrupt downturn the day the Air Commander came in triumphantly, beaten and wounded as he was, bearing a black and green sheet of metal. By now, basically every Seeker knew what it was. Starscream had succeeded in getting Loki's fin.

Not sure how he felt about this, Rainburst withdrew even further from the Decepticon Seeker society. It was cause for celebration, revenge finally had on the flight-stealing dinobot, but Rainburst couldn't forget how guilty she had looked, how horrified she had sounded when she learned how devastating the consequences of her actions could be. She shouldn't have felt the least guilty, they were on opposing sides... but she had, and now Rainburst just couldn't take joy in knowing she had been 'repaid'.

"Enjoying the sight?" Mach taunted loudly, drawing the attention of their fellow seeker, who was looking at Starscream's prize… strangely. He didn't like it, it was bad enough that Rainburst had come back from being captive… no, he came back with wings, wings that the psycho dinobot had taken.

Next to him, the yellow and green seeker could tell Velocity was feeling the same way, anger coming through in his comment. "Maybe you can trade some more…" he trailed off with a snicker of disgust. "We need more wings, why don't you go be a traitor again and get some...? If your 'friend' is up to company, that is." Falling into chortles of laughter, the mech smirked, "Them again maybe she just doesn't want you anymore, the glitch is so stupid I bet she doesn't even realize what she's done."

Some trines were close, almost bonded. Some trines actually WERE bonded, though very few at this point. And then there were trines like this, thrown together more from lack of any choice than from any desire to fly together. "Mach, Vel'... frag off, you glitches. I already told you once, I didn't do anything. And she's not going to have any, that was the whole POINT of Lord Starscream's attack!" Rainburst didn't think twice as he said the lie, he hadn't told anyone about the PILES of wings Loki possessed.

Before Mach himself could, Velocity scowled and stepped forward, "You can't honestly make me think that she just gave them to you, you traitor!"

The other seeker nodded in agreement, "What, are you feeling sorry for that… monster? She steals out wings! You slagger, how can you not even TRY and exploit this?!" It was a bold statement, insinuating that Rainburst had betrayed them and helped their enemy just for a few wings… and if he wasn't going to be getting more, then there was no reason to hold back the anger at the traitor.

"Well, she did! She's a glitch-head Autobot, they're all... fragging NICE and slag, how should I understand them! She... she said she thought it was better than death, she didn't KNOW we didn't always..." Rainburst choked over his own words, reminded again of Loki's guilt. "I... I would try. But... she's not even going to be able to fight, she doesn't..." The teal and black seeker refused to contemplate why he was so adamant on not letting everyone know how many wings Loki really had. He heard the unsaid accusation, and hoped his trine-mates would hold off on acting on it... at least for a little while... long enough for him to... to leave.

"I think it's a good thing, now she can see how it feels to loose a important body part… you feel sorry for her, don't you!" With a snarl, Mach lashed out, hitting his trine mate in the face, HARD. "You're lying!" he accused darkly, crimson optics boring into equally red ones. Velocity jumped in then too, noticing that the room was empty… not that it really mattered.

"You traitor! You like that piece of scrap! What lies did she tell you huh? What the hell did you REALLY do for those wings?" The demands spilled forth, but the orange mech barely noticed what he was saying, only seeing the truth written on Rainburst's face.

Whimpering as he was hit, for just a moment Rainburst considered not fighting back, just taking it... He wasn't, after all, very good at ground combat, not nearly as good as Mach or Velocity. Growling, he dismissed that idea, instead going for the parts he knew hurt, determined to hurt them as much as possible before they won. "I didn't do ANYTHING!" he yelled, and he hadn't. That almost made him feel worse.

Wearing matching snarls, the two mechs easily over-powered their trine mate, ripping at the traitor with ease and enjoying every minute of it. His screams just made it all the better when Mach grabbed Rainburst's wing and pulled, ripping it off. If the slagger was going to feel bad about a psychotic dinobot, then he'd get treated like her victims! While Mach did that physical stuff, Velocity started tormenting Rainburst quietly, whispering things in his audio… things that, truthfully, Mach didn't want to hear… not that he could over the screams and denials of the teal seeker. His spark would need... examination too, it would need purifying, especially from being near the dinobot.

Trine mates didn't turn on each other that often, together by choice or not. To fly well, they had to know each other well, and Rainburst knew that Velocity was willing to do every last one of the horrid things he murmured so eagerly. When Mach ruthlessly removed his wings, Rainburst realized he was indeed a traitor, for his first thought was that they had just sealed their death-order, and the teal seeker didn't even feel bad about it.

"Piece of scrap…" Giving the broken and beaten frame one last punch, Mach stood from where he'd been kneeling over Rainburst. The traitor had been quite good at interfacing… even if he hadn't wanted it.

"Oh, I got energon on my cockpit… so wasted…" Giving a last, bruising, mock kiss of care to his trine mate, Velocity stood as well, making sure to completely destroy the wings that had been ripped from the slightly smaller mech.

Laying where he had been shoved, Rainburst just shivered, reaching out to touch the remainder of what had been his wings. His beautiful wings, which Loki had wanted so, wanted but not taken... He wasn't thinking clearly as he gathered the scraps up and subspaced them. He had to leave here, and he had to leave now. No-one here would repair his wings, they would just laugh, tell him to get wings from his 'lover', be useful, they would say. He couldn't take any more time to recover, he was alone, this was the best chance he'd get... With one last look at the disconnected fin, wishing he could return it, Rainburst forced himself to stand and totter out. As soon as he was far enough away, he began broadcasting a request for Dinobot Loki.

Getting a message from Blaster was always wonderful, but getting a message from Rainburst while the seeker was obviously in pain… that was horrible. "Slag!" Loki cursed, hating not having wheels to go FASTER for the first time in her life as she searched for the location she'd been given… hoping that the seeker was still alive.

Rainburst was rather surprised at the amount of energon he'd lost by now. He hadn't realized there was quite that much in him, or that so much could puddle around him while leaving him conscious and online. Of course, some of the conscious part was probably because he really had no compunctions about re-ingesting what he could, it was very much not something he ENJOYED, but not exactly something he had a problem with, either. Lost in his thoughts, it took him a moment to realize that the ripples in the energon puddle were caused by tremors, by footsteps... Looking up, the seeker realized just how badly off he was when he could barely make out the horizon, let along the blue, green, and black shape that was the dinobot. One teal arm rose in a wave before he slumped into the puddle.

"Slag!" Growling low Loki barely stopped her run in time to slide and kneel next to the prone form that had waved… Rainburst looked worse than horrible, lying in a pool of his own energon as it streamed from wounds… so many wounds… the wings that the dinobot loved so much were gone, cockpit torn off and chest plates cracked. "Rainburst? Stay awake slagger, jus' stay awake!" With a quick comm. to Shadowsinger, she knew Wishmaster would be ready with help at the ship's entrance. "Come'n, A' know ya' can do it, jus' stay awake!" Picking him up as gently as possible, Loki winced at the sharp gasp he gave, nestling him closer and running back to the ship.

"Gon'... sneak me past... Wish' this time?" Rainburst tried to joke, attempting to follow Loki's pleas for him to stay awake. Everything was going to be okay, he believed that for some reason. "Stay wi... with me? Rather not... be offline at all, but..." He was probably being stupid, should stop trying to talk, but if he did that, he wouldn't stay awake.

"Wish'll be waitin' fo' us… o' course A'll stay… A' won' leave ya', not in this state, o' ever!" Without waiting for a response, the dinobot tried to speed up her running. She was so worried about getting to the ship that she didn't know how she did it, relieved to see Shadowsinger and Wishmaster at the entrance as she asked. Loki didn't even try to leave as Rainburst was taken from her and rushed back to the med bay, Wishmaster making him keep talking.

Glad that Wishmaster was okay about people staying around during repairs, even if he did put them to work, Shadowsinger stayed around and did the fetch and carry required. Rainburst was surprisingly determined to stay online and talking, but eventually, finally, it proved too much for him. Shadowsinger had to admit that he was glad when the seeker went unconscious.

Rainburst woke up slowly, wondering just when he'd gone to recharge. His processor was still muzzy, and he could recognize the doping effects of painkillers. Looking around, he saw he was in a med-bay, not Decepticon... The dinobot was there, grinning at him.

"Wish turned ya' inta a femme, A' hope ya' don' mind," Loki said cheerfully, giggling at the look of horror that crossed the seeker's face. "A'm kidin', A'm kidin' though A' wouldn' put it past 'im ta' do that ta' meh sometime, turn meh inta' a mech as a joke…" Trailing off, Loki patted Rainburst on the shoulder, hiding her worry at him. It was obvious that it wasn't a disciplinary beating, no, too much damage was done for that… "Ya' got three clicks ta' tell meh who so A' can go rip 'em into little pieces o' metal, an' why so A' can add insult ta' death."

He was a traitor, for true and sure, and he was going to have to get the faction symbols removed. No, Mach had already done that, it was actually a secondary reason for taking a seeker's wings... Twitching, Rainburst noticed that his wings had been repaired... no, replaced. He didn't dare quite look at them, not yet. He needed to answer Loki first... "Mach and Velocity, my tri... my former trine." He was going to have to switch to blue optics... or maybe a neutral's yellow... "I don't think you'd look as good as a mech."

Well, the pain meds Wish had given him were obviously working… "A'll remember those names… look 'em up…" With a malicious smirk, Loki flexed her claws, a shiver of excitement running through her at the thought of ripping into the ones who hurt HER seeker buddy. "A' don' think A'd like bein' a mech either…"

"Vel's all oranges, Mach's blue and yellow and green and... really hard to miss... Ooh!" Reaching into his subspace, the teal mech pulled out the scraps and ruined metal. "They're not much anymore, but... Well, was better than just leaving them." Handing them to Loki, or trying to, he finally looked at the wings he had been repaired with. They were still their original color, no cosmetic work had been done at all, and so they looked kind of odd, bright white and red sticking out from his dark teal and black frame. "Starscream's? You... gave me a pair of...?"

Taking the wings offered to her, Loki held them tenderly, making note of what the seeker was saying before answering. "Th' best pair A' got 'sides mah… well anyway, aye…" The wings in her hands were covered in dried energon, but were obviously Rainburst's and could possibly be repaired… with a little work of course. "Ya' got 'is cockpit glass too ,by th' way. An' ya' gonna be stuck 'er for a bit, Wish' was ticked off by mah leavin' an' ready ta' blow when he saw ya' wounds…" Reminding herself to talk to Xobit about where Rainburst was going to go, and hoping he could stay… at least as long as he wanted… the dinobot smiled, "Ya' know he cares when he hits ya' upside th' head an' calls ya' a glitchin' pile 'o scrap."

Rainburst ran his hand against the white wings and shivered as he felt his touch. The medic's work was good, not surprising since he was a flier himself. "Sorry I had to leave your fin... I wouldn't have been able to get it loose." A gray hand shifted to stroke the canopy, he just had to check, make sure it was all real... "They didn't believe you'd just given me the wings... Actually, I didn't mind the accusations, just that they thought it would have been needed..." He wasn't quite sure what to think about Wish, the more Loki talked the more confused he got, and he was really... tired again.

"Don' worry 'bout it, a' stole so many o' their wings they deserve one o' mah fins, A' knew it was gonna happen after all anyway…" The dinobot blinked at the second part of Rainburst's statement, "Wha'...? o'…" She was flattered that he didn't mind the accusations… and also extremely surprised. Did the other Decepticons REALLY think she was that evil...? Well okay, it wasn't that surprising, since she DID rip off their body parts, but still… the mech did look tired though, "Get some rest Rainy, A'll be here when ya' wake, A' promise."

"Get som' res' y'self..." the Seeker murmured back, already half gone. Rest, yes... rest would be good, and he liked the nickname... "M'name used be Rainstrip... I danced." He didn't get to see how Loki reacted to that, recharging as soon as the words left his mouth, memories of his time on the stage accompanying him to the blackness.

A dancer… well, it was no wonder with his slender frame, so much like Shadow's… Murmuring a good night to the already in recharge seeker, Loki leaned back in her seat to watch over him. Wishmaster would have to knock her out to make her stop… oh yes, he would.

When he woke this time, he was far more clear-headed. The painkillers had worn off and he hadn't been given any more. He didn't need any, still in some slight discomfort as his self-repair finished finalizing stuff, but in nothing that could be called pain. Loki... the seeker's face softened and he smiled when he saw that she had fallen to recharge while watching him Standing and hoping she didn't have the sort of attack reflex that would get him slagged, the seeker stroked her face gently, having to reach up to do so even if she was sitting.

Without thinking, the dinobot nuzzled the hand that was touching her face, waking to feel it had been so nice… she opened her optics and jumped, falling back off her chair with a crashing sound. Loki hadn't expected Rainburst to be the one rubbing her face so nicely and was quite embarrassed that she'd nuzzled his hand… the undignified position she'd landed in didn't help the embarrassment and she sighed as she stood.

Dropping his hand and stepping back, Rainburst looked at the ground. "I, um... are you okay? I didn't mean to sca- startle you. You... Well, you looked so peaceful, and I've really not seen you all that much!" Looking at the floor was a good way to hide the smirk that kept imprinting on his faceplates. He didn't mean to, it was just... too amusing.

"O', go 'head an' laugh, A' know ya' wanna…" Loki grumbled, trying not to chuckle at the seeker's attempts to hide it. "Aye, A'm fine, A've been through worse from Wish' an' his showin' love… it wasn' mah fault he left 'imself wide open fo' a joke 'bout playin' with his wrenches… speakin' of…" Creeping over to the door Loki poked her head out, "Maybe we can sneak away 'fore he-" She yelped when a fist crashed into her head, ducking back in to rub at the spot.

Rainburst gave into the urge to laugh, the wounded sparkling look the dinobot had mastered proving too much for his self-control. That earned him a glare and grumbling from the black medic, who never STOPPED grumbling as he checked them out. It was really quite a fascinating experience by Rainburst's standards, primarily because most of the muttering was directed at Loki. Finally Wish decided he was satisfied and told them to get lost.

Yelling a teasing comment about the medic's bedside manner, Loki had to dodge another blow as she led Rainburst out. "He's jus' grumpy 'cause he don' got no high grade…" A wrench hit her, being thrown down the hall and the dinobot yelped slightly before grinning. "We gotta go see Shadow' 'bout ya' getting' some new paint... and energon too."

Still stifling giggles, Rainburst followed Loki. They didn't go to her office this time, but to what he had to assume was her room. The ivory and purple mech was already there, busily moving cans of paint. He looked up and waved cheerily, and Rainburst returned it, still only able to think of him as 'the chain guy'. Wings decorated the walls here too, but not as many, and the seeker found it was bothering him less. In fact, he wouldn't object at all to seeing two other wings on the wall, oranges and yellow with that deep green stripe... yeah, he was vindicative.

"Y'ur th' boss-man Shadow', tell meh what ta' do?" Loki said, helping her friend to move the paint and opening one jar curiously. "Y'ur gonna keep 'ur same colors right? O' ya' want new...? Cause this is pink an' A' doubt ya' gonna want it." The last part of her sentence was directed at the smaller mech, teasingly poking fun at him.

"Pink?" Shadowsinger repeated incredulously. "Sweet Primus, why do we even HAVE pink?" Glancing at the paint, he shivered and grabbed the lid from Loki, closing it up again. Rainburst was glad of that, he didn't want to explain why he very much didn't want pink.

"Same colors, yeah. I've had them all my life, after all. Though I've been thinking... of going back to my old name..." Unsure, he decided to help as well, shifting pain and opening jars until they found the colors they wanted.

Remembering his mentioning his former name Loki smiled, "It's a nice name A' think… an' A'd still get ta' call ya' Rainy if ya' switched ta' Rainstrip!" Pausing the dinobot cocked her head. "Where do ya' want 'im?" She asked Shadowsinger, grinning evilly when the smaller mech said to put him on her berth. Without giving much warning, she picked Rainburst up and carried him over, setting him down gently.

"I only changed in the first place because Vel' kept teasing me... Mach wasn't so bad, he'd mess ya up and stuff, but he was pretty straightforward. Vel' though..." The seeker shook, yelping when Loki moved him. "Um, okay, exactly why did you decide to put me on your berth?" Oh, well, now that just sounded dirty.

"He said ta'," Loki laughed, jabbing a finger at Shadowsinger before grabbing the needed paint, and her brother, and setting them on the berth as well. "A'll have ta' ask Sorral ta' go hack 'ur basses systems an' get some info on 'Vel' an' Mach'…" she said absently, "she's been dyin' ta' get out an' have some fun…"

Looking dubiously at the little mech only got a brilliant and slightly sharp smile. So much for thinking the little mech might have suggested the berth innocently... "They were my trine mates... I do believe I could give you any information you need! Though far be it from me to stop a femme from having fun..."

"That's just what Ah like t'ear," Shadowsinger said brightly, grabbing a smaller paint can and cheerfully climbing up to sit on the prone seeker. Dipping his brush into the black paint, he set to work. He wasn't the best at painting, but there wasn't much needed for detail, really.

Gigging widely, Loki climbed up behind the seeker and sat, pressing her front against his back to cuddle him. "Aye ya' could, but A' don' think ya'd be able ta' hack in an' change their route ta' go right pass mah cannon." Still giggling the dinobot pulled back from her cuddle and took another container of paint to copy what Shadow was doing.

"Ah, well... no, I couldn't do that..." Wiggling slightly, Rainstrip tried to figure out what he thought about being held between two Autobots like this. Two Autobots wielding paintbrushes that... really felt pretty good... "I want... I want to see their wings on your wall too." He could... TRUST them, relax and enjoy the repainting... A flash of thought hit, maybe the accusations would come true, and he decided it didn't matter.

"O' course Rainy," purred Loki, wanting to hug the seeker again but unable to because of the wet paint and the fact that a hug might lead to… other fun. "A'm havin' some fun ideas poppin' on what ta' do ta' them… A' don' think death is th' best thin'… A' want worse…" Even while making sure her painting was careful, the dinobot finished the black of Rainstrip's wing quickly and started on the other one.

Shadowsinger had moved down to work on the legs and thrusters, idly thinking about what a pity Krash wasn't here to enjoy this... It was nice, mindlessly painting and talking with his friends. ...friends... The small mech shook his head to clear his processor and grinned at Rainstrip. "Oooh, she's getting ideas. If ye've got any objections, ye'd best voice them now."

Rainstrip couldn't quite decide if this was relaxing or arousing, surprised by how well the small mech and the large femme worked together. "Objections? Me? Not hardly." He turned to watch the white of his wing replaced by its proper color, smiling.

"A' wonder what'll they'll do when hunted… A' do love ah' good hunt… mmmmm." Purring, the dinobot shivered in excitement at the very IDEA of having some fun with her seeker's former trine mates… "A'll leave 'ur wings without any symbols fo' now but ya' can have whichever added later." Loki hoped she'd get to add Autobot symbols… in black, oh yes, that would be perfect…

"I guess I should... um, talk to someone about that, then..." It was odd, he knew that people could act one way in battle and another at base and safe, Rainstrip just... wasn't used to being on the Autobot side of that same phenomena. Reaching over to touch the dry wing, he traced over where the symbols would normally be. It was... odd, seeing the unbroken expanse of teal...

Finishing up, Shadowsinger nodded. "Yup, soon as we're done here. Still gotta get you some wax, no? And if y'try sayin' your not vain, I'm gonna kick ya. I have yet to hear of a seeker who doesn't got some vanity." If he read things right, his claimed sister was just moments away from doing something... interesting.

As soon as the paint was dry Loki put the paint jar and brush she had aside, tugging Rainstrip against her body with a small sigh. Being around Sorral all her life had made her need contact, one of the reasons why although she tried NOT to make people uncomfortable… well, something about the seeker made her unable to help it, even when wanting to make Shadow feel better wasn't as bad… "'Ur comfy…" she murmured, nuzzling Rainstrip, forcing herself not to do more.

Rainstrip didn't want to, didn't mean to, but that didn't stop him from tensing slightly as the dinobot pulled him closer. It wasn't fear of Loki, far from it, he just... apparently he wasn't quite ready. But she wasn't forcing anything, and she was comfortable to lay against, odd, with all those spikes... "So are you. But, um... I'm hungry?" That didn't stop him from lifting his hand and cupping it around her face while the small mech watched with a grin.

Enjoying the touch she was gifted with, Loki gave a half glare to her brother, "Shut up…" she hissed, picking Shadow up and setting him onto the seeker before sliding a arm under Rainstrip's knee joints. Her other arm looped right under his wing joints and, sliding off the berth, she walked out the door, heading for the rec. room. "Energon, then we gotta see 'Bit, how's that sound, bro?"

"But I didn't even say anything!" Shadowsinger protested, making himself as comfortable on the Seeker as possible. Rainstrip just kind of looked down at the ivory and purple mech that was suddenly taking up residence on his cockpit. Looking back up at the dinobot who had orchestrated this sudden relocation, he apparently decided this was NOT worth making any trouble over. Anyway, it was sort of... comfortable. "And that sounds like a plan."

"Ya' thought it…" Loki grumbled, entering the rec. room and setting her cargo down at a table, fetching cubes of energon for them and herself. She could tell that Rainstrip hadn't wanted to be carried, but he didn't argue, and she was glad… arguing wouldn't have meant anything, after all, since she would have just ignored the protests.

"Is she... always like this?" Rainstrip asked quietly in the few moments that she was gone. Shadowsinger just nodded, busy sticking his glossa out at the femme. Okay, so the chain guy acted like a sparking at times... and the psycho dinofemme liked to cuddle. And even though there were others in the rec room, mostly femmes, they barely gave him a second glance... although some of those second glances were fairly interested...

"A' heard that… Shadow', ya' getting' really close ta' getting' molested 'gain…" Absently playing with her cube of energon, Loki actually hopped up to sit on one of the tables, sending a look that screamed that Shadowsinger would get retribution… and Rainstrip too, if she could get him without pushing too much. The dinobot knew her brother's limits… well, he practically didn't HAVE limits, but still… she had no clue about the seeker's.

Shadowsinger downed half the cube before licking his derma with a purr. "But I only answered a question, Loki! Why are you blaming ME for everything?" With an agreeing grin, he finished off the cube, seeing no reason to linger over it and hoping that he had enough fuel already in his tanks that he didn't manage to overcharge himself.

Settled into a chair and forcing himself to drink slowly, Rainstrip tried to figure out exactly what had just happened. He was pretty sure that Loki had glanced at him around the same time that she had 'threatened' Shadow... Maybe next time they got to that point, he would be ready.

With a small snort, Loki stuck her glossa out at Shadowsinger, copying his former sparkling-like behavior with a smirk. "'Ur not jus' interface-able, 'ur blamable too, didn' ya' know that?" she asked, teasingly, sipping down the rest of her cube and looking around the rec. room. Not seeing her sister Sorral anywhere the dinobot shook her head, realizing that the smaller femme must be hiding out somewhere. She still needed to talk and ask the micro-raptor for her little favor… but that could wait, 'Bit came first after all.

"Oh, well, if ya put it THAT way," Shadow answered cheerily. "Come on, Rainy, it's time to introduce you to Prime!" Barely giving the seeker time to finish his energon, the pair pulled him back OUT of the rec room and down hallways to stop before a door. Realizing just what was going on, Rainstrip's only coherent thought was that he should have gone ahead and got the wax.

Data work was often viewed as immensely boring. Xobit disagreed, it was relaxing, of course her background differed a great deal from that of most other Primes. When her door opened she just gestured at the two seats in front of her, there were only three people on board that would walk in without knocking, Wishmaster, Shadowsinger and Loki… or any combination of the three. Putting away the stack of 'pads she had been organizing, Xobit looked up and was grateful, for once, that startling her seemed to be a hobby of the mech and femme that had just entered with a seeker in tow.  
"Hello." Nodding politely at the seeker, whom she surmised was the rescued victim that Shadowsinger had told her about, she glanced at her officers. "Care to tell me why I have a factionless seeker in my office who looks like someone is about to dismember him?"

Looking back at Rainstrip, Loki noticed that, indeed, the seeker looked like he was about to be executed. "She don' bite unless overcharged ya' know…" she said to the scared seeker, turning back to Xobit with a small shrug. "A' figured ya' had ta' work ya' charm 'Bit, since he's gonna be here… well as long as he can stand us…" Gently tugging Rainstrip into one of the seats, Loki picked her brother up and hopped in the other with a small grin.

And of course now he was looking at the purple femme and trying to imagine her overcharged and wondering if that happened often and if he'd be able to hide if it did. "Prime," Rainstrip kind of squeaked out, sitting in the chair without completely thinking about it. Well, okay, he'd SAID he'd needed to see someone about faction, but... "Have you ever heard of WARNING a mech, Loki?" he asked, optics, still red, he needed that changed, still locked on the Prime.

"She likes to shock people, so that would be a no… and yes, I am a Prime." Gently stating the obvious, Xobit leaned her head on one hand, trying to decide how to go about this. "Contrary to Loki's statement, I don't bite when overcharged… I only bite if someone asks me to do so. Still, I don't think you need to hear about the interfacing habits of this crew yet, there will be time enough for you to walk in on several of them, even if you decided to get off at the next neutral port." And she was blabbering? Oh well, she had never liked it when people feared her.

"Says th' one who a' destroyed a bar within th' first few clicks o' meetin'…" Loki grinned, moving so she was more comfortable in her chair… which translated into sitting in it sideways in a way that Prowl would have fits over. "He's already seen meh threaten ta' molest Shadow'," she added absently, able to look at Rainstrip upside down while waving at him.

Rainstrip was very much not sure how to deal with the conversation. Not that he minded it at all, but it was, as the Prime commented, a little early. "No... I like flying into battle a little too much to get along as a neutral. I'd... kind of like to stay here, though of course, whether or not you let me join is up to you." Loki had saved his life, and he knew it. One could say it was because of her that he'd been attacked in the first place, but... he would have been attacked sooner or later. All Loki had done, really, was give him a place to run to. And Shadow was waving at him from her chest.

"Stay here how? No…" Xobit wasn't saying no to the teal seeker, but she quickly realized that it had sounded so to him as his face fell and his shoulders began to droop. "It would be better to leave you a neutral for a bit I think… see if you fit in with the crew and if the Autobot ideals are something you want to fight for. Not to mention that you need to recover before even thinking of going on a battle field again, and I will assign you to Longshot and Shadow' for self-defense classes! I will not have you leave this ship helpless, and I will most certainly not have you fighting for us if grounding turns you defenseless…" rapidly organizing and reorganizing schedules in her processor her sentences fell quicker and with more force then she realized.

"A'd like ta' help on that, if it's 'k 'Bit, A' hunt seekers an' A' KNOW th' ones who A've ticked off ain't gonna take kindly ta' 'im bein' 'round us… me…" Shifting again the dinobot made a face, "Oi', scarin' him is my job, Prime…" Looking at the seeker, Loki some how reached out and patted him, chuckling at the way he was attempting to sink through the chair.

"Oh... okay." Rainstrip wasn't quite used to things going so fast, not that he objected at all, far from it! He was just... overwhelmed. And having Loki contort around to pat him really wasn't helping. "That, um... thank you." Optics flickered as he realized something suddenly. "Wait, the chain guy is going to teach me how to fight?" Looking rapidly back over at Shadow, Rainstrip gave a soft whimper at the grin the small mech sported.

"Of course Loki… I imagine that the entire crew will oversee this ones training." Commenting dryly on the fact that the mech was, well, sinfully good looking, Xobit felt the urge to dim her optics as a sign of anticipated annoyance. "I'm not trying to scare… him."

"It is more or less normal procedure on this ship, apparently we cannot go anywhere without picking up troops. By the way… what is your designation? I can't keep calling you 'teal seeker'" Stopping for a moment Xobit turned to Shadowsinger and his rather precarious position. "Interesting nickname you have gotten there…?"

Loki giggled, she didn't say anything, just giggled… and winked at Shadowsinger, "Aye, chain guy, ya' got such a fun nickname, huh?" She perked suddenly and steadied her gaze at Xobit, finially looking serious. "Permission to request Sorral to do a special mission… and to do things that Prowl would never approve of?" Pressing her accent away during her request was hard and the dinobot instantly bounced back with a small happy sigh.

Shadowsinger just shrugged, he wasn't completely sure where Rainstrip had gotten that nickname, but then, he'd learn soon enough. And then he could figure out what he thought about it...

"Ah, Rainbur... I mean, Rainstrip, I'd like to go back to my original designation. And... that's a good thing. It means... people agree with your ideals... no?" Rainstrip's voice was still uncertain, but he looked happy.

"Sorral can do the mission, be sure to keep to common sense and try to get something of tactical use in case we have to report on it. As for the other… I can't really stop you, can I? No, don't answer and let me put it like this, as long as you come back in one piece I'll handle any fallout!" It was the usual, but Xobit did understand her 2IC having known her a long time. It was better to allow her to do this then to try and force her to behave as anything but what she was… it made for a very unhappy dinobot and a very unhappy crew.  
"Rainstrip then. Hum… I think you will blend in easily enough, but we'll see." He was perceptive… Xobit liked people who were more than what they seemed to be. "I would like to think so, yes. Well, one other thing, most of the crew have more the one function. Since Loki seems to have adopted you, she can help you with finding a second education or with reawakening forgotten skills."

"Aye, thanks Prime." Nodding her head Loki sat up, giving a thankful smile. It was always better to not have to do anything Xobit didn't approve… that didn't mean she wouldn't do it if her Prime didn't approve, but it was always better if she DID. "A'll assign him ta' one o' th' rooms near mine, if that's okay, th' one that's near mine, that Sorral used ta' use when mad at meh 'fore she found a vent she liked… it's perfect fo' a seeker."

Loki seemed to be preparing to leave, so Rainstrip stood, also nodded respectfully at the Prime. "Thank you, again. I... would like to learn more than just fighting, or even dancing." Loki didn't pick him up when leaving this time, letting his walk out on his own. Who would have ever thought that getting cornered by the psycho wing stealing dinobot would have turned out so well?

* * *

And that's how the Hyrde got a Seeker. I should post Loki's a Giant Target...

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